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Source: http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSI...0909220046.asp
TB death rate here highest in OECD, says health body
Korea's tuberculosis prevalence and death rates ranked first among industrialized countries, a report issued by the World Health Organization showed.
According to the report, the number of TB cases is estimated to be 90 per 100,000 people this year with 10 deaths, Rep. Sohn Sook-mi of the ruling Grand National Party said yesterday.
The Korean figure is the highest among the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development-member countries, followed by Japan with 21 cases and three deaths and the United States with four cases and no death.
"In addition to the nation's dishonor of being No. 1 in TB deaths, the more serious problem is the numbers of patients and deaths from the disease has not decreased in years," Sohn said.
"As the H1N1 flu virus is rapidly spreading here, I caution that health authorities cannot ignore other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis," she said, adding that the death rate from tuberculosis is 100 times higher than that from the new flu.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of TB patients was 139,497 over the past four years. There were 10,318 fatalities, indicating 7.4 percent of the death rate.
The lawmaker also urged the government's tightened controls on elderly TB patients, who account for 33 percent of the total TB population. Experts say their flu infection could be led to serious complications such as lung diseases.
Amid more than 10,000 cases of infection from the flu virus here, a total of eight deaths have been confirmed as of yesterday. Seven of them were elderly people who died from lung diseases.
(jylee@heraldm.com)
By Lee Ji-yoon
2009.09.22
TB death rate here highest in OECD, says health body
Korea's tuberculosis prevalence and death rates ranked first among industrialized countries, a report issued by the World Health Organization showed.
According to the report, the number of TB cases is estimated to be 90 per 100,000 people this year with 10 deaths, Rep. Sohn Sook-mi of the ruling Grand National Party said yesterday.
The Korean figure is the highest among the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development-member countries, followed by Japan with 21 cases and three deaths and the United States with four cases and no death.
"In addition to the nation's dishonor of being No. 1 in TB deaths, the more serious problem is the numbers of patients and deaths from the disease has not decreased in years," Sohn said.
"As the H1N1 flu virus is rapidly spreading here, I caution that health authorities cannot ignore other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis," she said, adding that the death rate from tuberculosis is 100 times higher than that from the new flu.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of TB patients was 139,497 over the past four years. There were 10,318 fatalities, indicating 7.4 percent of the death rate.
The lawmaker also urged the government's tightened controls on elderly TB patients, who account for 33 percent of the total TB population. Experts say their flu infection could be led to serious complications such as lung diseases.
Amid more than 10,000 cases of infection from the flu virus here, a total of eight deaths have been confirmed as of yesterday. Seven of them were elderly people who died from lung diseases.
(jylee@heraldm.com)
By Lee Ji-yoon
2009.09.22